


Key to My Art

by Anonymous



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Sex, One Shot, Post-Canon, Romance, Tracey is 21
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26084287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: After an accident at the lab, Tracey has a rare chance to sketch Professor Oak. Will he find the courage to tell his mentor how he feels?
Relationships: Professor Samuel Oak/Tracey Sketchit
Kudos: 4
Collections: Anonymous





	Key to My Art

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't mark this as underage since Tracey has been working at the lab for several years, and he's now twenty-one. However, he might have had an unrequited crush on Professor Oak as a minor.

A Pokemon watcher had to be quick with his pen. After all, a wild Pokemon would only sit still for so long. Watchers who couldn't draw with speed and accuracy ended up with nothing to show for their work.

Tracey liked to think he was fast, but he was rarely quick enough to finish a sketch of Professor Oak. Tracey had never met someone with so much energy. The professor was constantly bustling from one section of the lab to another to check on his experiments and running out to feed the hundreds of Pokemon that resided at his lab. 

Tonight, it looked as though he would have a rare chance to finish an entire sketch of the professor. He only wished it were under better circumstances.

"How is he doing?" Nurse Joy poked her head into the room.

"Still sleeping." Tracey looked up from his sketchbook. "Otherwise he's about the same."

"Good. The antidote seems to be working just like it should. I don't know what he was thinking, trying to get that Beedrill untangled with his bare hands."

Tracey smiled slightly. "Well, you know the professor. He always wants to help the Pokemon."

A few hours earlier, one of the Beedrill had gotten itself caught in the netting they used to keep the baby Pokemon confined to their own safe area. Professor Oak immediately sprang into action to free the trapped Pokemon, but in its panic, the Beedrill had unleashed a venoshock attack. Luckily, Tracey had been on hand to grab the antidote, but an attack like that was extremely dangerous for a human nonetheless.

"If he seems to be doing all right, I'll head home," Nurse Joy said. "Professor Oak is lucky you were so quick with the antidote. Things could have been a lot worse."

"It could have," Tracy agreed. He didn't like to think about it, but it was true. "But that's why we keep a well-stocked first aid kit on hand. Poor Beedrill feels terrible about what happened."

"There is still a slight risk of complications developing, so keep an eye on him tonight," Nurse Joy said. "Call me if anything changes, and I'll stop by to check on him again first thing in the morning."

Tracey thanked her for her help, and then he was alone with the professor once more. He turned back to his sketch. He had the outline penciled in. Now it was time to work on the details. He took a few moments to study Professor Oak as he decided where to begin. The professor was propped almost upright on the pillows. Nurse Joy said that would make it easier for him to breathe as the aftereffects of the poison lingered. Professor Oak slumbered peacefully, his brow smooth and unfurled and even a slight smile on his lips. His breathing was deep and regular, much to Tracey's relief. 

He chose to start at the top and work his way down. Tracey briefly considered drawing Professor Oak with his eyes open but quickly changed his mind. There was something magical in the way Professor Oak's eyes lit up with excitement so readily, and Tracey knew he wouldn't be able to capture that sparkle without seeing it while he worked.

Next, he moved onto the ears. Ears that were always willing to listen. It didn't matter how busy he was. Professor Oak would make time to talk with anyone who needed his advice.

Tracey added more details to the professor's features and began to sketch in the lines on his face. Years spent out in the sun had left him tanned and weathered. Each and every line seemed to tell its own story. The deepest ones, the ones Tracey took special care to depict, were the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth, the ones etched by years of smiles and the easy laugh Tracey loved.

He penciled in the strong jawline next, sketching the chin that was set with determination even while the professor was sleeping. Then he filled in the mouth, still relaxed into a small smile as though Professor Oak was enjoying a pleasant dream. Tracey made sure to get the lips just right, all the while wondering what those lips would feel like pressed against his.

Tracey paused his drawing for a moment. It was hard to pinpoint exactly when he had fallen in love with Professor Oak. He had only been sixteen when Professor Oak hired him as his assistant, and it had been the single most exciting day of Tracey's young life. After years of admiring Professor Oak's dedication to his research, working alongside his hero was a dream come true.

He might have idolized the professor at first, but little by little, Tracey had gotten to know the real person, not just the idealized researcher he had dreamed of meeting. And knowing Professor Oak as a person made everything better. His kindness, his gentleness, his work ethic… Tracey loved it all. Over the years, he'd developed a little crush, and now, over five years later, Tracey had to admit he had fallen in love.

Not that he had plans to ever tell anyone, Tracey thought as he returned to his drawing. Professor Oak could probably have anyone he wanted. He wouldn't waste his time with a lowly lab assistant like him. Still, he could dream.

Tracey's pen flew over the page as he filled in the broad, strong shoulders, the lean, muscled arms, and the hands. He paid extra attention to those hands, making sure to capture every last detail. They weren't beautiful hands. Rather, they were rough and calloused with a couple of fingers crooked from old breaks that had healed askew. They were hands strong enough to lasso a rampaging Tauros, but also gentle enough to handle even the most delicate Pokemon hatchling. Tracey tried not to think of all the nights he had lain awake in bed, imagining how those hands would feel running over his body.

A few more details, and the sketch was done. Tracey leaned back in his chair and studied his handiwork with satisfaction. He'd captured the professor exactly the way he saw him, and now he could look at him whenever he wanted.

Professor Oak was breathing easily, and the color had returned to his face. The antidote was slowly but steadily doing its job.

Tracey meant to stay awake through the night to make sure the professor's condition continued to improve, but his eyelids soon grew heavy. It had been a long day, after all. He abruptly woke to the first rays of dawn creeping in through the window. Fortunately, Professor Oak was still sleeping soundly. Tracey watched him for a little while, and as the sun crept above the horizon, the professor's eyes fluttered open.

"Morning, Professor. How are you feeling?"

Professor Oak looked only slightly surprised to find him there. "Tracey, my boy! I'm much better, thank you. You weren't really sitting there all night, were you?"

Tracey shrugged. "Nurse Joy said to keep an eye on you."

"You all worry too much." Professor Oak sat up straighter and leaned back against his headboard. "It's not like this was my first time finding myself on the wrong end of a Pokemon attack. I doubt it will be the last either. All I needed was a little rest, and I'm good as new."

Tracey couldn't help but notice there was a slight slowness and stiffness to Professor Oak's movements, belying his claims he was no worse for wear. If that venoshock attack had been even a little more powerful or if they hadn't had the correct antidote right there…

"What have you been working on?" Professor Oak asked, nodding toward the sketchbook in Tracey's lap.

"Oh." Tracey tore his thoughts away from how easily he could have lost the man he loved. "I finally got a chance to sketch you. Hope you don't mind."

He passed his drawing over to Professor Oak, who raised his eyebrows.

"Wow, this is really good! Like a photograph, almost!"

"Thanks, Professor." Tracey felt his cheeks starting to flush.

"You know," Professor Oak said with a sigh, "sometimes I worry your talent is being wasted here. You could be in the city if you wanted. People there would pay big money for art like this. I'm sure you could even have your own gallery."

"I wouldn't dream of being anywhere else."

Tracey got to his feet, and a reckless impulse overcame him. It briefly occurred to him he could create a scandal that might get him thrown out of the lab, but after yesterday's reminder of how fragile life could be, Tracey didn't want to waste another moment pretending. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to Professor Oak.

"Professor, may I kiss you?"

Tracey wanted to flee as soon as the words left his mouth, but he forced himself to stay where he was, to look directly into Professor Oak's eyes. The professor's face reddened, and he glanced away with a nervous chuckle.

"Now why would you want to do that?"

"Because it's something I've wanted to do for a very long time."

Professor Oak gave another of his uneasy laughs. "But certainly a handsome young man like you could find someone his own age."

"I don't want someone my own age." Tracey met Professor Oak's eyes again. "I want you."

Professor Oak's flush deepened. "Well, I mean, if you want, I guess that would be—But you obviously don't have to—"

Tracey leaned in and cut the professor off with a kiss. He had imagined what it would be like to kiss Professor Oak hundreds of times, but in all his daydreams, he never imagined it would be this amazing.

Professor Oak's lips were warm and soft against his. Tracey could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears as he lightly caressed the professor's cheek and then ran his fingers through his soft hair. Professor Oak had frozen in place the moment their lips met, but after a few seconds, he wrapped his arms around Tracey and pulled him in closer.

Tracey's hands traveled lower, running over those broad shoulders. He felt the powerful muscles that resulted from years of hard, physical work. Professor Oak moaned softly against Tracey's mouth, and their tongues met once briefly, and then again more purposefully. One of Professor Oak's hands slid beneath Tracey's shirt, trailing up his back. The touch against his bare skin made Tracey shiver.

They were both breathing heavily when they finally broke apart. Professor Oak extracted his hand from Tracey's shirt, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Sorry, I might have gotten a little carried away. If you want to run off to that art gallery in the city now—"

Tracey interrupted him with another kiss, one that doubtlessly would have been longer and even better if it weren't for the doorbell chiming downstairs.

Tracey reluctantly pulled away. "That'll be Nurse Joy. She said she would come by early to check on you."

"Nurse Joy. Right." Professor Oak sounded slightly dazed.

Tracey paused at the door. "But maybe we can, you know, revisit this later, Professor?"

"That, uh, that would be nice. And Tracey?"

"Yeah?"

"In that case, it might be about time for you to start calling me Sam."

**Author's Note:**

> The other day, I was researching characters for my main project, and I remembered how obsessed Tracey was with Professor Oak during the Orange Islands series. Just out of curiosity, I looked to see what sort of fanfic people had written about them. I discovered the pairing had been given a name back in the day (apprenticeshipping), but apparently, no one actually ships them.
> 
> Personally, I found this unacceptable because a ship without fics is like a cake without frosting. A flower without petals. A night without stars. So I was compelled to rectify this injustice by writing an Oak/Tracey fic no one asked for. I'm not much of a romance writer, but now I can sleep easily at night knowing there's one less contentless* ship out there. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> *I'm calling the ship contentless based on the lack of tags and my inability to find anything substantial on the first few pages of Google. If you know of any fics I might have missed, feel free to drop a link!


End file.
